Introduction to World Religion and Belief Systems

Quarter 1 – Module Nature of Religion

Lesson 1: Understanding the Nature of Religion
Definition and Nature of Religion

In examining the meaning of religion, we shall look into the etymology (the origin of the linguistic form of the
said word) of the word religion. Religion comes from the Latin verb, Religare, which means in English, to
bind. Etymologically, religion means binding of oneself with the absolute being.

Religion is a belief in a supernatural power, or it refers to the performance of practices which binds
together or links human beings with the hidden superpower. It comprises of systems of attitudes, beliefs,
symbols and a structure of activities governed by these systems. Also, it offers answers to deepest
questions, and it helps gives us a sense of our space in the universe.

There are two ways of defining religion as a social reality. The first is substantive, which is concerned with
what constitutes religion. In this sense, religion involves beliefs and practices “which assume the existence of
supernatural beings” (Davie 2007). The second is, functional definition of religion which is more concerned
with the social consequences of religion.

Table 1.1. Various definitions forwarded by several social scientists on the nature of
religion.

Name of Social Scientist Background View on Religion

Edward Burnett Taylor (1832-1917)
James George Frazer (1854-1941)
Bronislaw Kasper Malinowski (1884- 1942)
David Ëmile Durkheim (1858-1917)
Understanding Beliefs and Worldviews
English anthropologist; founding figure of the science of
social anthropology the belief in spiritual beings. Main
thinker of substantive religion.
Scottish social anthropologist; one of the founding
figures of modern anthropology a propitiation or
conciliation of powers superior to man which are
believed to control and direct the course of nature and of
human life
An eminent 20th-century Polish anthropologist a body of
self-contained acts being themselves the fulfilment of their
purpose; an affair of all, in which everyone takes an active
and equivalent part.
French sociologist; father of sociology a unified system of
beliefs and practices relative to sacred things. Main thinker
of functional religion.

Every individual sees and interprets the world quite differently from one another. This
overall perspective is also termed worldview which is a collection of beliefs about life and the
universe being held by people. Beliefs generally refer to assertions, claims, or thoughts about things
that are held to be true. Religion contains a worldview. Belief in god or gods is found in almost all
religions.

Table 1.2. Different Kinds of Belief System/Worldviews

Kinds Description
Monism There is no real distinction between god and the universe.
Polytheism The belief and worship of many gods.
Monotheism The doctrine or belief in one supreme god.
Atheism Disbelief in or denial of the existence of a personal god
Agnosticism God cannot be known.

Monism asserts that there is no genuine distinction between God and the universe. Two implications
arise from this belief. Firstly, it contends that God is dwelling in the universe as part of it. Secondly, the
universe does not exist at all as a reality but only as a manifestation of God. Polytheism is a kind of religion
that believes in a plurality of Gods. Some religions of this type include Buddhism, Hinduism (some sects),
Taoism, to name some. Monotheism is a kind of worship that recognizes and believes in one God. Examples
of religion that adhere to single God are Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, among other. Furthermore,
while atheists deny the existence of God, agnostics deny the possibility for man to acquire knowledge of the
existence of God.

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Elements of Religion

The etymological meaning of religion, that is, to bind oneself with God, is not enough to make up what
religion holistically means. Several elements constitute a religion. The following are the elements that are
common among religions.

1. Sacred Texts which embody beliefs, rituals, doctrines, among others.

(e.g. Holy Bible, Holy Quran)

2. Rituals consist of external forms of worshipping a supernatural being. It includes ceremonies that reenact
sacred stories, and various activities that express praise to God, gods, or a revered teacher or prophet.
3. God of Supreme Being believed to be a supernatural.
(e.g. Jesus Christ, Buddhist God)

4. Place of worship is which its followers offer their prayer to the supernatural
power.
4.1. Church- A church is a place where Christians assemble to worship God. Areas in
the church include the sanctuary, the most holy area; the nave, the main area
where people sit; the alter, which is used for the ritual known as the Eucharist or
Holy Communion.
4.2. Mosque- The main purpose of a mosque is to worship and praise Allah. Several
mosques have domed roofs with the symbol of Islam, and many of them in
Muslim countries have a tower called a minaret.
4.3. Temple- A temple is a building used for the worship of a god or gods, especially
in the Buddhist and Hindu religions, and in ancient Greek and Roman times.
4.4. The Synagogue- is the Jewish place of worship, but is also used as a place to
study, and often as a community center as well.

Functions of Religion

Do you think it is possible to believe in God without religion? Do

you think it is possible to belong to a religion without God? Why
do you think people embrace a religion?

Your answers to the above questions are certainly valid and worth discussing which deserves,
though, ample time to share your thought about them. Religious freedom serves as one major reason
why different people profess different faiths or belong to a particular religious denomination.
Moreover, there are different reasons behind every believer’s affiliation. The following are functions
of religion:

1. Religion provides mental peace and tranquility.

Religion helps human to find solace in suffering and perhaps most important, how to face
and find meaning in death.

2. It inculcates virtues both personal and social.

Almost every religions believer has gained his values and virtues he practices in life that have been
inculcated in him by his religion.

3. Religion promotes social solidarity.

It develops the helpful attitude of the people and thereby injects the idea of mutual help and co-
operation.

4. Religion is an agent of socialization and social control.

It helps in preventing social norms and strengthening social control. It controls the behavior of the
individuals at a different level.

5. Religion and morality.

Moral judgments are linked to religious instruction handed down by pastors and ministers. These moral
norms guide the believers’ ways of living. What is considered good or bad is reflective of one’s religious
belief.

Differences of Religion from Spirituality, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

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 Religion vs Spirituality

A believer may be religious but not necessarily spiritual. Religiosity refers to acts of worship a
believer follows or practices like sacraments, praying in the church, joining the religious procession among
others. While on the contrary, spirituality speaks more of how a believer internalizes his faith in God. It is
more of the believer’s inner disposition to his God.

Thus, spirituality can be described as one's integrative view of life and involves a quest for the
meaning and ultimate value of life as opposed to an instrumentalist or materialistic attitude to life.

Elements of Spirituality

a. Holistic- fully integrated view to life.

b. Quest for meaning- including the purpose of life.
c. Quest for sacred- beliefs about God.
d. Suggests a self-reflective existence.

Religion vs Theology

While religion refers to any set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices concerning a supernatural power—
theology involves the systematic study of the existence and nature of the divine. It deals with the study of the
nature and purpose of god that may be undertaken using a particular perspective. Theology is a study, not a
formulation of religious beliefs.

Religion vs Philosophy of Religion

Since religion is a belief in a supreme power and worship of it as the creator and controller of the universe
without reasoning, philosophy on the other hand, is a pursuit of wisdom by intellectual search and logical
reasoning. Philosophy of religion questions the very existence of the supreme power or on sacred texts. It seeks
to analyze various concepts such as god, spirit, karma, creation, immortality, heaven, hell, and purgatory among
others. Philosophy of religion is not a branch of theology but a branch of philosophy.

LESSON 2: How World Religions Began

Religions have their origin stories and are universal in nature. Geography and culture have an effect on
the establishment and development of religions. Religion and spiritual issues, including Judaism,
Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, the Bible, Wicca, Buddhism and more, are at the core of human
values and history.

Historical Background

There are different theories in explaining how religion originated many of which are based on human
experiences which in the language of Aristotelian philosophy is called inductive. Just like the Ancient Greece
thinkers who gave birth to philosophy using wondering of what constitutes the primordial stuff of reality,
religion started through man’s experience of fear and fascination leading to the idea of the holy.

Even prehistoric humans, such as the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, have practiced a set of belief
systems in one way or another, including burying their dead, painting on the walls of caves, and carving
images from stones. The existence of humankind for so long a time has resulted in the formation of religion
and belief system. It is certain that many religions may have been unrecorded in the past. Others may have
gradually died down like Zoroastrianism that once flourished in South Africa but is now only confined in Iran,
India, and Central Asia.

Table 1. Important Dates on the Origin of World Religions

Date (circa) Significance

c. 2000 B.C.E. Time of Abraham, the patriarch of Israel
c. 1200 B.C.E. Time of Moses, the Hebrew leader of the Exodus
c. 1100-500 B.C.E. Hindus compiled their holy texts, the Vedas
c. 563-83 B.C.E Time of Buddha, founder of Confucianism
c. 551-479 B.C.E. Time of Confucius, founder of Confucianism
c. 200 B.C.E. The Hindu book, Bhagavad Gita, was written

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 c. 2 to 4 B.C.E.-32 C.E. Time of Jesus Christ the Messiah and founder of Christianity

c. 32 C.E. The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

c. 40-90 C.E. The New Testament written by the followers of Jesus Christ

c. 100 C.E. Beginnings of Shintoism (no known founder)

c. 500-580 B.C.E Time of Lao Tze, founder of Daoism
c. 570-632 C.E. Time of Muhammad, who recorded the Q’uran as the
basis of Islam
The Patriarch Abraham

The prophet and patriarch Abraham played a major role in the establishment of the three monotheistic
religions: namely, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which account for more than half of the world’s total
population at present. As such, these organized religions are collectively known as Abrahamic religions.

The three monotheistic religions share some commonalities in their basic tenets.

1. They all worship one supreme being.

-The ancient Hebrews call their God Elohim, Adonai, or Yahweh.

-Present-day Judaism uses the names “Lord” and “God.”

-For the Muslims, they call their God as Allah.

2. Prophets and apostles play major roles in these religions.

-Judaism has 48 prophets and seven prophetesses. Early prophets include
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and Joshua.
-In Christianity, the 12 apostles were the primary disciples of Jesus Christ,
some of whom wrote parts of the New Testament.
-For the Muslims, they believe that Muhammad is the final prophet or the
“Seal of the Prophets.”

3. The role of divine revelation or intervention is associated among their

progenitors (ancestors).
- God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac at Mount Moriah.
- God presented the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai.
- God sacrificed his son Jesus Christ through crucifixion as the plan to
salvation.
- God commanded Muhammad to establish a new religion at a cave in Mount
Hira.
Then and now, followers of the three Abrahamic religions are presented with a choice between good
and evil.
(Familiarize yourself with the diagram below showing the genealogy of Abraham.)

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 The Indian Mosaic

India is one of the world’s oldest surviving civilizations, with its history dating back to at least
6500 BCE. The many conquerors that came to India were gradually absorbed into the native Indian
religions. The Harappan civilization, the Aryan influence, the local dynasties, and the Muslim
conquest all had their fair share in building the intricate Indian mosaic. As a result, variety and
complexity characterize Indian culture. Religion is an essential part of the Indian tradition. Four great
religions originated in India – Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism –
and a myriad of minor cults and local sects.

Hinduism

Hinduism has no specific founder, no one sacred book, with innumerable gods and goddesses that any Hindu
can venerate. As such, Hinduism can be considered as a ‘museum of religions’. It was during the Vedic Period
that Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma became systematized as a religion that preached order and purpose to the
cosmos and human life. During this period, universal order became equated with a stable society as evidenced
by the establishment of a centralized government and the integration of collective traditions into Indian lives.
Buddhism

Buddhism centers its attention on the figure of the Buddha. He was not a god but a human being who came to
discover how to terminate sufferings in order to escape the painful and continuous cycle of rebirth. Buddhist
followers revere Buddha in the same way that members of other world religions worship their gods.

The Mahayana sect of Buddhism differs from the Theravada school because of its rich array of buddhas and
bodhisattvas who have attained spiritual enlightenment. These beings are already eligible to enter nirvana but
choose to delay this glorious path to guide others to the path of salvation.

Born near the end of the 6th century B.C.E., Siddhartha Gautama’s life is closely linked with the historical and
religious development of Buddhism in India. Gaining new converts due to its mass appeal as compared to the
exclusivity of Hindu beliefs, Buddhism spread far and wide from India to Sri Lanka and to Southeast Asia.
The religion was transported to China and gained much headway as it reached Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
Across the Himalayas, it reached the Tibetan lands. Presently, Buddhism has become more popular outside its
place of origin while Hinduism has remained entrenched in India throughout many centuries.

The Way of the Dao

Confucianism

Even during the olden days, the Chinese had already endeavored to establish and attain good governance.
China adopted Kung Fu-Tzu's (Confucius) ideals and ethics as the nation developed meritocracy as a basis for
government officials.

Confucius is regarded as China’s greatest philosopher and teacher who lived at the same time as
Siddhartha Gautama in India. Confucian ideals aspire to harmonize human relations and serve as guide to
social behavior. An ideal human society is of utmost concern for Confucian followers.

Daoism

Mysteries abound the birth and personal life of Laozi (Lao-tzu) who may have written Dao De Jing (Tao Te
Ching or The Book of the Way and its Power) around the 6th century B.C.E.

Believed to be a contemporary of Confucius, he once worked as government archivist or record keeper

at the time of the Zhou Dynasty but soon left the service due to his frustration with corruption. Around 142
C.E., Daoism began as an organized religion with the establishment of the Way of the Celestial Masters sect
by Zhang Daoling during the Han Dynasty.

The writings of Daoism centers on the concept of Dao as a way or path signifying appropriateness of
one’s behavior to lead other people. Dao means the way the universe works.
Shintoism

Shintoism is a loosely organized local belief of Japan, somewhat an ardent (dedicated) religious form
of Japanese patriotism. Its mythology highlights the superiority of Japan over other lands. Japanese people
believed that their emperors literally descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu. Conscious effort is being
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done to revere the beauty of Japan’s lands, especially mountains.

The term ‘Shinto’ was coined around the sixteenth century C.E. to distinguish native belief system
from the imported religions of China and Korea, including Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. The term
actually originated from the Chinese words shen and tao roughly translated as the ‘way of the gods’. Of primal
importance were the kami that were often defined as gods but could also refer to deities of heaven and earth,
or even spirits in human beings, animals, trees, seas, and mountains.

Positive and Negative Effect of Religions

Religion can be controversial, for sure, and there have been quite a few negative events
done in the name of religion. However, at its heart, religion is intended for good.
Religions are meant to be guiding posts for human morality and an opportunity for
people to either commune with a higher power or center their life to make the world a
better place.

Religion’s first intention is typically to give a purpose to humans. In a sometimes

senseless world, this is vital, as it guides them and gives them something towards which
to work. Beyond that, religion is used to teach morality. When used properly, religion
combats evil and despair in the world by providing morally upright leaders and
teachers.

But when religion is not properly used it can also be a vehicle for evil and can create
negative effects on people and society.

The positive effects of religion:

1. The benefits of religion to mental health.

a. Protects against depressive symptoms. Depression recovery proceeds better against a backdrop of
religion. According to one 1998 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, older patients
who were hospitalized for physical problems but also suffered from depression recovered better from
their mental struggles if religion was an intrinsic part of their lives. More recently, scientists reported in
the Journal of Clinical Psychology in 2010 that belief in a caring God improves response to psychiatric
treatment in depressed patients. Interestingly, this increased response wasn't tied to a patient's sense of
hope or any other factor that might be bestowed by religion, according to study researcher Patricia
Murphy of Rush University.
b. Soothes anxiety. If you're religious, thinking about God can help soothe the anxiety associated with
making mistakes. In other words, believers can fall back on their faith to deal with setbacks gracefully.
c. Religion may also provide coping skills to deal with stressors, or demands perceived as straining.
Pargament's three primary styles of religious coping are 1) self-directing, characterized by self-reliance
and acknowledgement of God, 2) deferring, in which a person passively attributes responsibility to God,
and 3) collaborative, which involves an active partnership between the individual and God and is most
commonly associated with positive adjustment. This model of religious coping has been criticized for its
over-simplicity and failure to take into account other factors, such as level of religiosity, specific religion,
and type of stressor

d. Religion gives people something to believe in, provides a sense of structure and typically offers a group
of people to connect with over similar beliefs. These facets can have a large positive impact on mental
health—research suggests that religiosity reduces suicide rates, alcoholism and drug use. Here are some
of religion’s main mental health benefits.

Community

i. Initiates social connections with other members

ii. Creates a sense of belonging to a group
iii. Offers trustworthy and safe social engagement
Ritual

iv. Helps people to cope with difficult life situations (i.e. a

ceremony for the loss of a loved one)

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 v. Provides structure, regularity and predictability
vi. Allows for time to rest as well as holidays and other special
times of the year
Teachings

vii. Provides guidelines to live by (i.e. the importance of doing the

right thing)
viii. Teaches compassion, forgiveness and gratitude
ix. Identifies life lessons, even from challenging situations

Notably, the research on the topic specifies that not all forms of religiosity (i.e. affiliation, involvement,
church attendance) assist those affected by mental illness. Affiliation to some religions6 and valuing
religion does not tend to result in healing experience of religion, rather it’s religious activity, involvement,
or attendance that appear to aid individuals on their journey to recovery.

2. Raises self-esteem (if you live in the right place). Depending on where you live, religion may also
make you feel better about yourself by making you feel part of your larger culture. People who are
religious have higher self-esteem and better psychological adjustment than people who aren't.

3. The benefits of religion to physical health.

a. Lowers your blood pressure. People who attend church often have lower blood pressure than those who
don't go at all, according to a 2011 study out of Norway.
b. Helps you resist junk food. Giving people religious reminders makes them feel like they have less
control over their lives — but it also gives them extra abilities to resist the temptation of junk food. In
a study published in January 2012 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers
exposed students to references of God in tests and games. Compared with students who saw references
of pleasant but non-religious objects, the religiously cued participants felt they had less control of their
future careers, but were also better prepared to resist the temptation of unhealthy treats. In other words,
thinking of God could be either a burden or boon for self-control, depending on what part of your life
you're trying to master.

4. Effects of Religious Practice on Family Relationships.

In general, religious participation appears to foster an authoritative, warm, active, and

expressive style of parenting. Parents who attend religious services are more likely to enjoy a
better relationship with their children and are more likely to be involved with their children’s
education.

Moreover, the greater a child’s religious involvement, the more likely both the child and parent will agree
about the quality of their relationship, the more similar their values will be, and the greater their emotional
closeness will be.
a. Mother-Child Relations. Compared with mothers who did not consider religion important, those who
deemed religion to be very important rated their relationship with their child significantly higher,
according to a 1999 study. When mothers and their children share the same level of religious practice,
they experience better relationships with one another.
b. Father-Child Relations. Greater religious practice of fathers is associated with better relationships with
their children, higher expectations for good relationships in the future, a greater investment in their
relationships with their children, a greater sense of obligation to stay in regular contact with their
children, and a greater likelihood of supporting their children and grandchildren.

c. Family Ties. According to a 2016 Pew Research Center Report, highly religious Americans are most
likely to attend gatherings with their extended family at least once a month, and, correspondingly, are
most likely to report being “very satisfied” with their family life. “Unaffiliated” Americans are less likely
than those of Christians or non-Christian faiths to be “very satisfied” with their family life. The National
Survey of Families and Households shows that adults who attended frequent religious services as children
reported more frequent contact with and higher quality relationships with their mother and father.

d. Domestic Violence. Couples who share the same religious commitment are less likely to commit acts of
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 domestic violence. Men who attend religious services at least weekly are less than half as likely to
commit an act of violence against their partners as their peers who attend once yearly or less. Regular
attendance at religious services has a strong and statistically significant inverse association with the
incidence of domestic abuse. Mothers who attended religious services less often over time reported a
lower quality relationship with their adult child.

5. Effects of Religious Practice on Crime Rates.

Metropolitan areas with high rates of congregational membership and areas with high levels of
religious homogeneity tend to have lower homicide and suicide rates than other metropolitan areas.
States with more religious populations tend to have fewer homicides and fewer suicides. Religious
attendance is associated with direct decreases in both minor and major forms of crime and deviance, to
an extent unrivalled by government welfare programs. There is a 57 percent decrease in likelihood to
deal drugs and a 39 percent decrease in likelihood to commit a crime among the young, black inner
city population if they attend religious services regularly.

In a major national survey of adolescents, a 6 percent reduction in delinquency was associated with a
one-point increase on an index that combined adolescents’ frequency of religious attendance with their
rating of religion’s importance. Each unit increase in a mother’s religious practice is associated with a
9 percent decline in her child’s delinquency. The adolescents at lowest risk for delinquency typically
have highly religious mothers and are themselves highly religious.

Children who attend religious services at least weekly are more likely to have positive social
development than those who never attend religious services. According to the Adolescent Health
Survey (Wave I), adolescents who worship at least weekly are less likely to be repeat shoplifters than
those who worship less frequently.

Similarly, adolescents who worship at least weekly are less likely to steal than those who
worship less frequently.

The 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth showed that 15 percent of those who attended
religious services at least once per week committed assault, compared to 17 percent of those who
attended more than once a month, 21 percent of those who attended less than monthly, and 22 percent
of those who never attended.

6. Effects of Religious Practice on Society.

Considerable research has emerged over the past five decades that demonstrates the benefits of religious
practice for society. Religious practice promotes the well-being of individuals, families, and the
community.

Regular attendance at religious services is linked to healthy, stable family life, strong marriages, and
well-behaved children. Religious worship also leads to a reduction in the incidence of domestic abuse,
crime, substance abuse, and addiction. In addition, religious practice can increase physical and mental
health, longevity, and education attainment. These effects are intergenerational, as grandparents and
parents pass on the benefits to the next generations.
7. Effects of Religious Practice on education. Because education is important in so many ways for
all citizens, any factor that promotes academic achievement is important to the common good. Academic
expectations, level of education attained, school attendance, and academic performance are all positively
affected by religious practice. In two literature reviews conducted by Mark Regnerus of the University
of Texas at Austin, educational attainment aspirations and math and reading scores correlated positively
with more frequent religious practice.
Students in religiously affiliated schools tend to exhibit a higher level of academic achievement than their
peers in secular schools, particularly in low- income urban neighborhoods.

The Negative effects of religion:

So how exactly does religion negatively impact society?

1. Religion is filling people with fear. Religion is one of the main reasons why people are afraid of living.

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 2. Religion is turning people against themselves . Religion, on the one hand, teaches that people are born
sinners. Sin is what we are made of, and whatever we humans are doing is bound to be corrupted in one
way or another.

3. Religion is turning people against each other. Others are just a projection of yourself, a mirror, on whom
you can see your own reflection. That’s why once you start hating yourself, you are bound to start hating
others too.
4. Religion is keeping people in ignorance. To live means to learn, and life is an ongoing
lesson.

When, however, you have grown up conditioned to believe what is right and wrong according to a religious
dogma, and you’ve been taught that to doubt the religion you were born into means to go to hell, naturally you
become afraid of seeking knowledge. You stop searching to find truth, and hence to educate yourself and grow
as a human being.
To live spontaneously one has to take responsibility for oneself, and this can be quite
burdensome.

The following are some of the events related to religion

1. Magellan's Cross, on the Island of Cebu.

Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to come to the Philippines in 1521. Also known as Fernao
Magalhaes or Fernando Magallanes, he was a Portuguese navigator working for the King of Spain in search
of the spice islands (now part of Indonesia, known as Maluku or Moluccas islands). When he and his crews
landed on Cebu island, a native chief, Rajah Humabon, met and befriended him. Rajah Humabon, his wife and
hundreds of his native warriors agreed to accept Christianity and were consequently baptized.

Magellan planted a cross to signify this important event about the propagation of the Roman Catholic faith in
what is now Cebu, in central Philippines.
Sadly, Magellan met his death under the hands of another Visayan chief, Lapu-Lapu, when he went to the
nearby island of Mactan. Mactan is also part of today's Metropolitan Cebu. There, both the statues of Magellan
and Lapu-Lapu proudly stand to commemorate the tragic meeting of east and west in this part of the world.

It took another 45 years (1565) before Cebu was visited again by another European. Miguel Lopez de Legazpi,
under orders from King Philip of Spain, came and made Cebu the first capital of the Spanish colony known as
Las Islas Filipinas.

2. Ashoka, also known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty, who ruled almost
all of the Indian subcontinent from c. 268 to 232 BCE. The grandson of the founder of the Maurya
Dynasty, Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka promoted the spread of Buddhism across ancient Asia.
Considered by many to be one of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka expanded Chandragupta's empire to
reign over a realm stretching from present-day Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east. It covered
the entire Indian subcontinent except for parts of present-day Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The
empire's capital was Pataliputra (in Magadha, present-day Patna), with provincial capitals at Taxila and
Ujjain.

3. Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire occurred intermittently over a period of over
two centuries between the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD under Nero and the Edict of Milan
in 313 AD, in which the Roman Emperors Constantine the Great and Licinius legalised the
Christian religion.

These persecutions heavily influenced the development of Christianity, shaping Christian

theology and the structure of the Church. The effects of the persecutions included the writing of
explanations and defenses of the Christian religion.

4. Pope Francis Apologizes for Church’s Colonial Sins.

During a speech before the World Meeting of Popular Movements in Santa Cruz, Bolivia,
Pope Francis apologized directly for the “grave sins” committed by the church in service of
colonialism, building on the penance of the pontiffs who preceded him.

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In 2000, Pope John Paul II began a new a new era in the church’s relationship to its history when he donned
mourning garments to apologize for millennia of grievous violence and persecution — from the Inquisition to
a wide range of sins against Jews, nonbelievers, and the indigenous people of colonized lands — and sought
pardon “for the divisions among Christians, for the use of violence that some have committed in the service of
truth, and for attitudes of mistrust and hostility assumed towards followers of other religions.”

“Never again,” he said.

5. Unification of Saudi Arabia.

The Unification of the Saudi-ruled Arabia was a military and political campaign in which the various tribes,
sheikhdoms, city-states, emirates, and kingdoms of most of the Arabian Peninsula were conquered by the
House of Saud, or Al Saud. Unification started in 1902 and continued till 1932, when the modern-day
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was proclaimed under the leadership of Ibn Saud, creating what is sometimes
referred to as the Third Saudi State, to differentiate it from the Emirate of Diriyah, the First Saudi State and the
Emirate of Nejd, the Second Saudi State, also House of Saud states.
The said unification was done under the influence of Islamic religion.

ACTIVITY SHEET
Name: ___________________________________________Date: ___________________________
Grade/Strand/Section: ______________________________
ACTIVITY 1.

A. Direction: You have your own ideas about religion. In the context of religion list down 5 things that you believe in by
completing the following statements. What have you observed in your own belief system?

1. I believe in/that .
2. I believe in/that .
3. I believe in/that .
4. I believe in/that .
5. I believe in/that .
B. Based on your answers in letter A activity, answer the following questions below:

1. Was it difficult for you to think of five things that you believe in? Why or why not?

2. Were you able to distinguish which of your answers reflect spiritual belief and which are
religious beliefs?

ACTIVITY 2

DIRECTION: ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED, REVISE YOUR INITIAL IDEAS
OF THE LESSON USING SENTENCE COMPLETION.

1. “I learned that religion is about my .”

2. “As a religious being, I should .”

DIRECTION: DEFINE THE FOLLOWING KEY TERMS IN RELIGION.

RELIGION
SPIRITUALITY
WORLDVIEW
THEOLOGY
PHILOSOPHY
ACTIVITY 3
DIRECTION: ANALYZE THE PARAGRAPH AND ANSWER THE QUESTION BELOW.

Religion as a phenomenon is a complex reality. In many of the religion classes you may have attended
before, religious ideas and practices were taught as doctrines, creeds and rituals that a believer of a particular
faith such as Roman Catholicism needs to abide by. This is why for many, any discussion of religion is a
personal matter and therefore could be very emotional.

Can you think of any instance when you saw one person turn emotional because of
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religion? This can be either positive or negative.

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